Steven Stanley Riske

Steven (Stanley) Riske, May 3, 1923 - July 20, 2017

Steven Stanley Riske, age 94 of Long Beach, California, passed away at home on July 20, 2017, peacefully.

Steve was born on May 3rd, 1923, the second child of Martin and Francis Riske and grew up in Warsaw, North Dakota, where he helped his father with farming. Steve attended Saint Anthony’s convent school through 8th grade and then graduated from Minto High School.

Steve met Leonarda Kiedrowski, the love of his life, in Warsaw, North Dakota. They fell in love and were married in 1947. Steve and Lee started their family in Grand Forks and then moved to California in1952 with 2 young daughters. They left North Dakota with $800 and everything they owned on the top of their car. Once established in Long Beach, he continued his education at a vocational school for machine operation in the evening while working at a machine shop during the day. Their family continued to grow as Steve and Lee had four additional children. In 1965 Steve and two partners started their own machine shop named Angelus Precision Grinding. The business grew and prospered and is still going strong today. Steve sold the shop to his employees 7 years ago, however he continued to work at Angelus part time as a consultant.

Dad’s strong faith was demonstrated by his support of various church activities and commitment to ensure that all of his children received a catholic school education through 12th grade. Steve was a member of the Knights of Columbus and Polish National Alliance.

Dad enjoyed camping, polka dancing, fishing, gardening, and was especially proud of his rose garden and orchids. He was an avid Dodger fan. He has been an inspiration to many and will be remembered for his love, kindness, generosity, prayers and homemade soup. His family was the most important thing to him, and he rarely missed any family event or celebration. Dad had an incredible sense of humor and was the eternal optimist. He often said, “After bad comes good”. He touched the lives of many, often giving them one of his trademark pens that said “To A Friend of Steve Riske”. He will be missed immensely.

Steven is survived by his children, Mary Riske of Fargo, ND, Donna (Mike) Wade of Santa Rosa, CA, Sandy (Roger) Schuster of Warsaw, ND, Steve Jr. (Sonia) Riske of Windsor, CA, Terri (Jim) Beckett of Santa Rosa, CA, Laurie (John) Carpenter of Laguna Niguel, CA; 19 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, 2 sisters and 2 brothers.

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401